Supporting Organizations
Bill Dickey Scholarship Association
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Christina Gray (left), BDI Junior Golfer |
Michael J. Berkeley Foundation is proud to be a supporter of the Bill Dickey Scholarship Association (foremerly, the National Minority Junior Golf Scholarship Association (NMJGSA), which was established in 1984 to address the need for a national organization to promote junior golf programs that would provide young minorities exposure to the fundamentals of golf. We share in the NMJGSA¹s mission: to increase the
participation of minority youngsters in the sport of golf, and provide financial assistance in support of their efforts to experience the extraordinary advantages of education and opportunity. We thank Mr. Bill Dickey, Founder and President of the NMJGSA, for helping our Foundation access minority candidates for the Michael J. Berkeley Foundation Scholarship.
We thank Mr Bill Dickey, Founder and President Emeritus of the Bill Dickey Scholarship Association for helping our Foundation access minority Candidates for the Michael J Berkeley Foundation Scholarship.
The Orlando Minority Youth Golf Association
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Honesty Biggers (18), Jadon Blaco (7), J.L. Smith (14), Robert Biggers (20) |
The Michael J. Berkeley Foundation is proud to support The Orlando Minority Youth Golf Association (OMYGA). OMYGA’s mission is to acquaint inner city and urban minority youth to the sport of golf in order that they may reap the rewards of the game including positive self-motivation, self-direction, self-discipline, and self-esteem. OMYGA began in 1991 in cooperation with the City of Orlando Recreational Department. Under the executive leadership of Dr. T. J. Dorsey, the program has serviced hundreds of participants ranging from ages 6 to 18 years who have been exposed and/or taught to play golf. OMYGA aims to further develop its participants to qualify for high school and college teams around the country. The program seeks scholarships and grants to assist their minority youth in becoming quality golf athletes.
The Michael J. Berkeley Foundation has awarded five $3,000 scholarships to three OMYGA alumni over the past four years: Robert Biggers (2005 & 2006 Scholar), Sharah Davis (2006 Scholar), and Monica Solomon (2006 & 2007 Scholar).
Last year, the Michael J. Berkeley Foundation sponsored four junior golfers to participate in the 8th Annual OMYGA Junior Minority Golf Championship Tournament in June 2008. The event was held at Walt Disney World’s Magnolia, Palm and Oak Trail Golf Complex.
We look forward to continuing our support of OMYGA in developing quality minority golfers. Please visit www.omyga.org to learn more about OMYGA and/or contact Dr. T. J. Dorsey, Executive Director, at tjdorsey@aol.com.
Midnight Golf Program
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Marcus Edwards, Britney Pasha, Rennard Glenn, Aisha Tabor, Jonathan McElrath, Eva Robinson |
The Michael J. Berkeley Foundation is proud of its continuing support of the Midnight Golf Program (MGP). The Midnight Golf Program was founded in 2001 by Executive Director, Renee Fluker, in Detroit, Michigan. The program’s mission is to teach life skills including financial literacy, college preparation, community activism, to inner-city youth in their late high school/early college years, as well as golf. The program meets twice a week for 30 weeks during the school year and features life skill training, a hot meal, and golf lessons from Michigan PGA pros. In the summertime, many of the sponsors and mentors in the program invite the Midnight Golfers out to play at their clubs, continuing to show an interest in their development.
A major part of the MGP includes “The Road Trip For Success” whereby the MGP takes Midnight Golfers to visit various colleges and universities during Easter break. The Michael J. Berkeley Foundation sponsored six Midnight Golfers in last year’s College Tour “Road Trip for Success 2008.” The tour included visits to Benedict College, Allen University, University of South Carolina, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, North Carolina Central University and North Carolina A & T University. The trip allowed the young people to put their golf training into action while playing golf at three excellent golf courses in Columbia, Raleigh and Greensboro in the Carolinas. Also included were unique historical, cultural and dining experiences that reinforce the etiquette and personal development training that is part of the program.
The Michael J. Berkeley Foundation has awarded four $3,000 Scholarships to four Midnight Golfers in the past three years: Daryl Kirkland-Morgan (2006 Scholar), Amber Peden (2007 Scholar), Kyra Moore (2008 Scholar) and Lou Pope (2008 Scholar).
We look forward to continue to support the Midnight Golf Program in its mission. For further information about the MGP, please visit their web site at www.midnightgolf.org and/or contact Executive Director, Renee Fluker, at 313-863-0463.